Category Archives: Abundance

I am an avid reader of business books since the time I got scammed. Whenever I read a book and apply the principles my net worth usually increases. I just want to share all the books that’s helping me when it comes to having a sound judgement with my investments and strengthen the core foundation of my personal finance.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind reveals the missing link between wanting success and achieving it!

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to get rich easily, while others are destined for a life of financial struggle? Is the difference found in their education, intelligence, skills, timing, work habits, contacts, luck, or their choice of jobs, businesses, or investments?

The shocking answer is: None of the above! – Amazon

Life changing book, wish I had read it earlier, but glad I’m reading it now! Confirmation, ahas, and good old common sense! A most read for anyone wanting to change their life for the better! Can’t wait to read it again! -Geegi H

There are a few investment managers, of course, who are very good – though in the short run, it’s difficult to determine whether a great record is due to luck or talent. Most advisors, however, are far better at generating high fees than they are at generating high returns. In truth, their core competence is salesmanship. Rather than listen to their siren songs, investors – large and small – should instead read Jack Bogle’s The Little Book of Common Sense Investing.” – Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, 2014 Annual Shareholder Letter. – Amazon

Jack Bogle, the inventor of the index fund, revolutionized how Americans invest and drove down the outrageously over-priced mutual funds that were charging so much for underperforming an unmanaged index. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his pioneering work.I have read just about everything Bogle has written and wished I had ONLY read what Bogle has written. As a long-time trader and investor, I keep coming back to KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid. 99% of us would earn more and sleep better if we stopped trying to trade the markets and instead bought a diversified basket of low cost index funds or ETFs and NEVER SELL. – Mike Victor

“If you read just one book on investing during your lifetime, make it this one” (Fortune)

“The wider Mr. Graham’s gospel spreads, the more fairly the market will deal with its public.” (Barron’s)

Several rules of thumbs I noted into my keep:– Investor buys the business [based on its price/value], speculator buys the stock [based on an absurd believe that he can foresee where the stock price will go].– The best way to earn adequate return without any trouble whatsoever is to invest into cheap (low maintenance cost) indexes; use dollar averaging (buy every month instead of once at a random point of time) for smoothing the luck involved.– For enterprising investor (willing to spend much more time), look for a diversified list of bargain issues (at least 30 issues, business values (i.e. net current asset and other related metrics) is below market cap)– During the bubble, hot industries and companies are getting overpriced. That could only be financed from somewhere. Partially that money are coming from well established old economy companies that lose the appeal. Thus, invest in such old economy companies while bubble grows, as soon as the bubble burst – undervalued companies would rise back. – Alex

The acknowledged expert in the psychology of change, Anthony Robbins provides a step-by-step program teaching the fundamental lessons of self-mastery that will enable you to discover your true purpose, take control of your life, and harness the forces that shape your destiny. – Amazon

“Yet another profound and powerful tool in the Robbins arsenal of self-awareness. It has been an enormous source of strength and insight for me both personally and professionally. ” (Peter Guber Chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment)

“Anthony Robbins is the ‘ultimate coach’ for that special breed of men and women who will never settle for less than they can be.” (Pat Riley NBA “Coach of the Decade”)

“Required reading for anyone committed to increasing the quality of their life.” (Dr. Barbara De Angelis author of #1 bestsellers How to Make Love All the Time and Secrets About Men Every Woman Should Know)

“Tony Robbins is one of the great influencers of this generation.” (Stephen R. Covey author The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)

“The best one-stop shopping solution to saving, debt management, investing, insurance, and financial planning I have seen between two covers. For the price of a week’s worth of lattes, you can secure your future.”—WILLIAM J. BERNSTEIN, cofounder, Efficient Frontier Advisors, LLC, author of The Intelligent Asset Allocator, The Four Pillars of Investing, and The Investor’s Manifesto

“I’m often asked to recommend a good, basic book on investing, and The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing has been my go-to pick since its original publication. It focuses on all the right things: the virtues of maintaining a frugal lifestyle, keeping investment costs down, and building a simple, low-maintenance portfolio. And importantly, it also tells investors what they can safely tune out—namely, day-to-day market action and the latest ‘hot’ investment products. Its advice will stand the test of time.”—CHRISTINE BENZ, Director of Personal Finance, Morningstar, Inc.

In Unfair Advantage & The Power of Financial Education Robert underscores his messages and challenges readers to change their context and act in a new way. Readers are advised to stop blindly accepting that they are ‘disadvantaged’ people with limited options. They are encouraged to act beyond their concept of limited options and challenge the preconception that they will struggle financially all of their lives.

“Crisply written, rational and practical, Zero to One should be read not just by aspiring entrepreneurs but by anyone seeking a thoughtful alternative to the current pervasive gloom about the prospects for the world.”– The Economist

“An extended polemic against stagnation, convention, and uninspired thinking. What Thiel is after is the revitalization of imagination and invention writ large…”– The New Republic

“Might be the best business book I’ve read…Barely 200 pages long and well lit by clear prose and pithy aphorisms, Thiel has written a perfectly tweetable treatise and a relentlessly thought-provoking handbook.”– Derek Thompson, The Atlantic

“This book delivers completely new and refreshing ideas on how to create value in the world.”– Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook

“Peter Thiel has built multiple breakthrough companies, and Zero to One shows how.”– Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla

David Isaiah Angway is a Registered Financial Planner, Chartered Wealth Advisor and a financial consultant for IT-BPO-Banking, HealthCare Industry and Manpower Agencies. He is a conference speaker and was featured multiple times in ABS-CBN News Channel show called On the money, Bloomberg TV Philippines First Up, Morning show of NET 25 called Pambansang Almusal, Eagle Broadcasting Company EagleNewsPh Facebook Live and different radio stations in Metro Manila. He also writes for BusinessMirror, Rappler.com, and MoneySense magazine.

He is the CEO and founder of WinLongTerm Financial Consultancy, that help organizations retain their top key employees such young urban and educated millennial (Gen Y) by teaching practical money management in the workplace. You can contact him thru his website winlongterm.com and his Facebook Page @WinLongTerm for more informative ways how to grow your money and secure your family.

If the Americans have Halloween, the Chinese have the Ghost Month. In the Chinese culture, the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day and the seventh month in general is regarded as the Ghost Month, where ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm. This is the counterpart of

It is the Chinese belief that the ghosts and the suffering spirits come out from the hell to visit their homes during the 7th lunar month (the ghost month), many things should be avoided during this month including the ghost day: A lot of Chinese refrain from investing, creating new businesses, or even getting married as they may encounter bad luck along the way.

Even the world of investing is not immune to the effect of the Ghost month. Historically, stock prices fall down during this month as investors lock in their profit and wait for the Ghost Month to leave. There are also newbie investors who join the herd and redeem at a loss just to avoid losing more when the market goes down.

Here are some beliefs:

Do not buy property or make renovations. It is believed that major transactions involving land should not be done during this time, and that renovations should be delayed so as not to disrupt the spirits. There are people who delay buying until the month is over and the problem is there might be an opportunity lost. If the person really likes that property, the best solution is to leave an earnest money to the owner and pay in full when the feared month is over. With regards to renovations, it may be scheduled depending on the degree of priorities of the job.

Don’t sign a contract.

It is said that ghost month can doom contracts signed at that month. It one is uncomfortable, he may postpone it for another date. If you have no choice but to sign, make sure you have studied the contract thoroughly. One must also make sure to research the other party very well before signing the contract.

Do not travel. Travel during the ghost month is discouraged specially at night so as to avoid accidents. This can be one of the reasons there are less leisure travellers during this time. Since there is low demand, ticket and hotel prices are at a low. If you are not that superstitious, you may take advantage of the bargain price to have your vacation.

Do not invest. A lot of Chinese has this fear of the unknown which drives people to act based on superstitious beliefs. Fear causes investors to stay on the side until the ghost month ends. It is the same fear that keeps them from investing in the market. This often leads to lost opportunities. Actually the fear of losing an opportunity must be greater than an unknown fear. Ghosts cannot affect our financial goals. They only affect our emotion. Whether Ghost month or not, just keep on investing.

Don’t have major surgery. It is said that major surgeries should not be held at this time, since the hungry ghosts can interfere and lead to more health problems. Surgeries that are not that critical can be delayed if the patient is superstitious. However, if the patient is in a critical condition and needs a major surgery, it is foolish to delay as it may cause death or even higher medical bills which can drain one’s pocket.

Here is a final thought. If you’re thinking of taking a risk, you may want to minimize it by covering your bases. Also, make sure that you are diversified so that you are not exposed to a single particular risk. .

Also, do not forget to protect yourself against unforeseen event and risk with insurance. Whether Ghost month or not, you are sure that you will have a financially healthy life

Edmund Lao is a Registered Financial Planner who has a passion to help Filipinos invest and right way and avoid being scammed.

The middle class are just comfortable of where they are right now in terms of their finances.

Yes, I did just say that. I hate to break it to you but if you want to be rich, you just don’t settle for what’s comfortable. You go higher than that, you go for extremely comfortable. I get the feeling that some, if not most of you, will have a negative or uncomfortable feeling towards what I’m writing right now. You might say, “Shouldn’t I be contented with what I have?” No, you shouldn’t be contented – you should be grateful for what you have and then strive to have more so that you can be extremely comfortable and be able to help more people along the way. The difference, ladies and gentleman, lies on the purpose of why you want to be rich. The rich think bigger than themselves or their family. They want to leave a legacy.

Reflect on that uncomfortable feeling you just had when you read the things that I just said, such feeling may just be the very reason why you can’t or won’t become rich.

Upon reflecting on the differences between the rich, middle class and poor, I have realized that being in the middle class is a mix of both rich and poor mindsets but that for me is such a dangerous place to be. Why? Because being a middle class, they already have the tendency to be rich but doesn’t want to take that risk or that jump to their next level. At the same time, the middle class have the tendency to be poor, should they sulk longer in what they call, “victim mode”.

You would know if a person is in a victim mode if they do the following (especially with regards to his or her finances):

Blaming – They are very good at the “blame game”. They blame their parents, the government, the weather, the economy, their neighbor, even their pets (just kidding!) for their misfortunes with regards to their finances. My dear friend (I wish), Bill Gates, said it perfectly, “If you are born poor, it is not your fault. If you die poor, it is your fault.” So quit all the blabbering about all the BIR stuff and start taking charge of your finances.

Justifying – They are also good at justifying why they aren’t rich. The most common justification that they use is that “Money isn’t important”. If you’ve heard of this line from someone, most likely that person is broke or just getting by. Money is important. Try paying bills and food with love, honesty and trust. Let’s see where it will take you. If you have negative image of money, it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever be rich. Time and time again it has been said, money is not the root cause of evil. It is the love of money that is the root cause of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10).

Complaining – What you focus on expands. If you focus on the negative things about your finances such as your debt, you will attract more debt. If you focus on the what’s wrong, all of your energy will attract more of it. However, if you focus on, let’s say, earning more through an additional source of income, all of your energy will focus there. Thus, this gives you more opportunity to earn and eventually pay off your debt.

Upset and angry boy with steam coming from his ears and arms folded concept for anger, frustration and mischief

Letting go of being in the “victim mode” will help you focus on what’s more important – taking charge of your finances. It will not be easy, I tell you. There will be times that you will be shifting back to your default mode. That’s why discipline is needed to hack your brain to focus more on going full out on your financial life. Going back to your default mode is normal, but how long you would be staying there will define whether or not you are on your way to becoming rich. Pass by such feeling, just don’t hang out in that place for too long.

To start rewiring your mindset from that of a middle class to that of the rich, I would recommend that you do the following:

Wake up early – You will be finishing a lot of activities within the day if you do so.

Exercise – Everything around us is energy. If you exercise, not only you will be healthy but you will have lots of energy. Money is energy that is why it is called currency.

Audiobooks – Devour yourself with audiobooks while stuck in traffic instead of complaining how traffic is.

Self-development seminars – Attend and invest on yourself by attending self-development seminars. You can reach out to I Am Plus Limitless Coaches (jrvcruz86@gmail.com or maann.barcebal@gmail.com) for schedules of these seminars.

Theory of Space – Surround yourself with people who have reached the level where you want to be, who are better than you and who are richer than you. Spend most of your time with them. Pick their brains. Remember what my good pal (kidding) Jim Rohn said, “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” You want to become a millionaire? Start hanging out with them. Do whatever it takes. Join groups, clubs, etc. You’ll be surprised of the results.

Dave Monter is a Registered Financial Planner, has a Diploma in Financial Planning in Australia, and a Life and Wealth Coach.

He used to be your average employee, living paycheck to paycheck until he decided to venture into entrepreneurship. He is now an advocate of helping people change their mindset towards life and wealth, in the form of coaching, as he sees the two areas related to one another.

Congratulations! As a parent whose child has just graduated from college is an accomplishment you should be proud of. Alas! No more fees and bills to worry about and you have excess funds or you have enough money to sustain you in retirement. The majority of Filipinos today, once their children finish college, splurge on things they cannot afford just to celebrate. They use credit cards to make sure everything is accommodated. This is just bad consumerism. This gobbles up even your future savings and prevents you from investing more.

The following are ways to maximize the deployment of excess funds after the children complete college and one retires in comfort.

Explore new heights—If you still have children in college or high school, look for more opportunities to increase your income potential by developing a business that is sustainable. I know it’s complicated, but remember to do some risk management by studying the market, or join a trusted existing MLM company and look for a franchise that works for you. I know it sounds odd, but if you want to increase your earnings, you have to take risks and step out of your comfort zone to avoid losing. The worst thing in life is living with regrets.

Start fresh—If you are the breadwinner and you did your fair share in supporting your siblings, you need to make sure that you have left something for yourself, as well. At this point, commit yourself to changing your financial status and get into the fast lane. If you don’t have savings yet, and an emergency fund or the value of insurance is not enough, prioritize them by developing a habit of putting money to your bank in a bimonthly basis. Sooner or later it will grow. Once you are secured and established, your next challenge is to focus your attention on investing.

Prioritize your emergency funds—When you are single and you have no one to support, that’s better. Make sure you understand how much you earn and spend accordingly. Base your monthly emergency fund with the way you spend. Look for opportunities to make your money grow, like investing in real assets instead of spending it on the newest gadgets and the latest fashion. Perhaps, you can invest your money in a business that’s close to your heart.

Pay all your debts—You will always be the slave of the lender if you don’t pay your debts. The interest rate will compound and the more you delay payment, the more it eats you up. The various financial products won’t help you thrive if you are buried in debt.

Invest in yourself—Your decision reflects your value system. Fix, update and constantly upgrade your financial I.Q. It will help you last another decade. Attend financial seminars. Buy books on personal finance. Read up and follow the best bloggers on personal finance you can find.

Give yourself permission to fail—You got an excess fund that you can use, the great thing about that is you get more options compared to yesterday. Remember that all kung fu masters were once students themselves. They kept grinding and exercising their talents. They never stopped even after they stumbled but learned through the process. Many people are afraid to fail. That’s normal. But if you don’t fail no learning happens.

Get your act right—Try to do everything to maximize every single peso and it will surely payoff. When you are faithful, I know you will receive more.

David Isaiah Angway is a RFP and a financial consultant for IT-BPO-Banking, HealthCare Industry and Manpower Agencies. He is a conference speaker and was featured in ANC On the money, Bloomberg TV Philippines. He is also columnist at BusinessMirror, Rappler, and MoneySense magazine. He is a licensed nurse and a former Senior Fraud Specialist of the largest bank in the world, JP Morgan Chase & Co.

He is the CEO and founder of WinLongTerm Financial Consultancy, helping young urban and educated millennial (Gen Y). It sets and achieves their long-term financial goals by empowering them through behavioral finance.

The late 1800’s were famous for capitalism where one man can accumulate a large sum of money worth multiple hundred million dollars, and equivalent to a billion dollars today. Before we have the modern innovators of today like Mark Zuckerburg of FaceBook, Bill Gates of Microsoft and Richard Branson of Virgin Corporation, American society back then were struggling after the civil war, they don’t have any source of light in the evening no electricity yet during that time. When the Sun is down, night is the king. A man saw an opportunity to redefine the existing industry. Here are the characteristics of a man who will help you move radically, achieve your greatest potential and push you to the limits. These will focus on social behavior of big people that will help you to become bigger someday.

Incredible work ethic – J.D. Rockefeller came from a very poor family in Ohio; his dad was known con man and also known as a Devil Bill. His dad never supported them and on a mission trying to cheat a lot of people every day to get access to their money. However, historian says that J.D. Rockefeller needed to quit school and supported his siblings and mom. Stuck in a dead end job, he saw that oil will be the next industry and quit to take chance. He worked his way up from a rank and file employee to a businessman who can compete and eat other existing business thru his excellent thinking and aggressive approach towards making the opportunity happens.

He wants to outwit the competition – I don’t know with you but other people got this feeling of pleasure whenever they outsmart, outwit, and outlast the competition. He loved winning more than ever. He killed the competition. Achieving greatness means letting go of your existing belief system and grab that opportunity to create more value to the market. Rockefeller got the 90% share of US Oil market and that had never happened before. His company was considered to be the first monopoly.

Collaborate with people who are smarter than him – Steve Jobs once said that you should hire smart people to work for you; I think he got that from Rockefeller. There are many refineries during his time and it’s really risky for him to invest more but what separates him from the rest was his love for efficiency. Massive oil flakes was being wasted so he teamed up with a scientist that can make the kerosene a lot safer. He is already ahead of the game while other are doing the same thing all over again and again.

Create his way – Successful people don’t wait for the opportunity to come. Their dreams are not going to be handed to them in a silver platter saying that’s your dream manifested. When his rival millionaire, Thom Scott and Vanderbilt discontinue the service that Rockefellers company is providing to the train, he treated it as a sign of war, Now if he’s not going to think differently he will be bankrupt, that’s when laying of pipelines was the only thing he can do, it will put the railroad business out from his oil industry and can get a massive control. After couple of years he was able to do it.

Future Oriented – His tragic life as a kid, a broken family, and the success before never hindered him to play the game of business. He didn’t define his future with his past but he let that to be his motivation to get to the top. He let those refined him like oil being transformed to create more value to a simple household.

Philanthropy – He became a millionaire and owned almost all the gas stations in America but he remembered that life is not all about accumulating money. He figured too that materialism is the root of all anxiety but giving will ease everything, he and his rival millionaire Andrew Carnegie started to give all their massive wealth to the world till the end of their lives.

D David Isaiah Angway is a RFP and a financial consultant for IT-BPO-Banking, HealthCare Industry and Manpower Agencies. He is a conference speaker and was featured in ANC On the money, Bloomberg TV Philippines. He is also columnist at BusinessMirror, Rappler, and MoneySense magazine. He is a licensed nurse and a former Senior Fraud Specialist of the largest bank in the world, JP Morgan Chase & Co.

He is the CEO and founder of WinLongTerm Financial Consultancy, helping young urban and educated millennial (Gen Y). It sets and achieves their long-term financial goals by empowering them through behavioral finance.

For more information and concerns subscribe to winlongterm.com Facebook page or contact me at david@winlongterm.com, here’s also my mobile number 0925-787-7796

This is one of the prayers that I normally utter whenever I get bad news. I should respond and not react so badly. Hope you will get inspired

I am not shaken when I hear bad news. I will not let a bad report affect my joy or rob me of my peace. I will not let bad news discourage me or cause me to become fearful. God has a plan for me to overcome this financial adversity. This was no surprise to Him. He will make a way where there seems to be no way. I cast all the problems of this situation over on the Lord. I will not let worry, fear or anxious thoughts trouble me. The Holy Spirit gives me insight, wisdom and favor to navigate my way through this adversity.

God is my provider, my deliverer, and my strong tower. I have learned to live independent of circumstances. The Holy Spirit gives me clear and specific directions concerning what I should do. Jesus will never leave me or forsake me. Therefore I will not let my heart be troubled. I will trust in God and I will boast in His word. What the enemy has meant for evil, God will turn it to my good. I will patiently wait and see the salvation of the Lord.